The Applicant's International. PCT Patent Application No. PCT/AU2007/001161 is (Publication No. WO 2008/019443) discloses several embodiments of closures for bottles of carbonated beverages that are an alternative to corks, screw cap closures and synthetic cork replacements. The disclosed closures have an inner part which receives part of the finish of the bottle and an outer part that fits over the inner part. The outer part can be moved, relative to the inner part, between a closed position in which the inner part is securely clamped to the bottle and an open position in which the inner part, and thus the closure, can be removed from the bottle.
In the majority of the embodiments disclosed in the above PCT application, relative movement between the inner and outer parts, along the longitudinal axis of the closure, is required to move the outer part between the two positions. In one embodiment (FIG. 13), relative twisting movement between the inner and outer parts, around the longitudinal axis, is required to move the outer part between the two positions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved closure, particularly in relation to ease and intuitiveness of use, compared to the embodiments disclosed in the above PCT application.